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One Story

August 14, 2012 By Talya Tate Boerner

Family names in concrete
we make a mark
ย on each other, families, neighborhoods, the world
actions and words
a smile or thought
ย affect someone
something else
unknowingly
we leave behind a piece of ourselves
ย everyday
handprints pressed into wet concrete
names proudly written for passersby to see
ย even years later
the marks remain
only lightly faded
ย long after the hands are grown and gone
monuments erected
ribbons cut
tributes made
a time
a place
a person
honored
remembered
forgotten
the last stone is laid
acts are not random
life is interconnected
full of stories
the stories are all one

Grace Grits and Gardening

Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

 

Musical Pairings:

Dust in the Wind – Kansas

โ€œHow many slams in an old screen door? Depends how loud you shut it.
ย How many slices in a bread? Depends how thin you cut it.
ย How much good inside a day? Depends how good you live ’em.
ย How much love inside a friend? Depends how much you give ’em.โ€ย 
โ€•ย Shel Silverstein

Filed Under: Life, Writing

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Comments

  1. Brenda says

    August 14, 2012 at 5:06 am

    Excellent!

    • TateFarmGirl says

      August 14, 2012 at 5:20 am

      Thank you!

  2. Taylor Sandquist says

    August 14, 2012 at 5:24 am

    Hey Talya I finnaly joined!

    • TateFarmGirl says

      August 14, 2012 at 5:30 am

      Yay!!!! I miss you so so bad. Call me maybe. Just call me.

  3. TimH says

    August 14, 2012 at 6:11 am

    Only one word comes to mind…Awesome, Awesome, Awesome!!!

  4. Anonymous says

    August 14, 2012 at 6:34 am

    Loved it. Mom

  5. Colene says

    August 14, 2012 at 8:34 am

    Very nice!

  6. Barbara Tate says

    May 30, 2014 at 8:31 am

    The “real Nana” left many marks on all our hearts.

  7. vishalbheeroo says

    May 30, 2014 at 10:40 am

    Life is inter-connected. Powerful:)

    • Talya Tate Boerner says

      May 30, 2014 at 1:26 pm

      Thank you:) I think so too.

  8. Jeanie Crews, Benton, AR (former resident of Steele, Mo says

    June 21, 2016 at 9:03 am

    Just finished “The Accidental Salvation of Gracie Lee'” and absolutely enjoyed each and every line. I grew up in southeast Missouri and picked cotton before mechanical pickers came on the scene. I was familiar with most of the places Gracie Lee and her family frequented, Goldsmith’s was a favorite, magical place at Christmastime.. I can’t count the times I laughed out loud while reading your book and the ending touched my heart , and as one of our grandchildren used to say, “It made my tears come down. Thank you for sharing your talent of writing, it’s hard to believe this was your first novel. You gifted my life with a special friend when you created and shared Gracie Lee. With appreciation,

    • Talya Tate Boerner says

      June 21, 2016 at 11:15 am

      Thank you so much, Jeanie! You have made my day with your sweet comments.

  9. Felicia W says

    June 27, 2016 at 11:12 am

    I’ve spent much of the morning reading your blog and feeling a sad to have left Mississippi County just yesterday, driving 12 hours back home to Michigan. My seventies were spent growing up with summer visits to the Mississippi Delta.

    My mother is a West Ridge girl, my Dad a Marked Tree boy. I have relatives in Lepanto, Tyronza, Etowah and Manila. We spent the week visiting, with highlights during the week driving into Osceola. We must have passed your childhood home a dozen times. And I see I unknowingly visited your Johnson family in Garden Point as I photographed the cemetery for Find A Grave. My Kemp family rests behind your family closer to the entrance.

    Thank you so much for sharing your memories. While I may have not grown up there, your memories tug at my heart-strings as well!

    I look forward to getting your novel and sharing it with my family members!

    • Talya Tate Boerner says

      June 28, 2016 at 11:31 am

      Thank you so much! I sent you an email…


Hi! I'm Talya Tate Boerner. Writer, Reader, Arkansas Master Naturalist / Master Gardener, Author of

THE ACCIDENTAL SALVATION OF GRACIE LEE (2016)

GENE, EVERYWHERE: a life-changing visit from my father-in-law (2020)

BERNICE RUNS AWAY (2022)

THE THIRD ACT OF THEO GRUENE (coming 2025)

Recent Ramblings:

  • Sunday Letter: May 25, 2025
  • Sunday Letter: May 4, 2025
  • Sunday Letter: Rainy Day Edition
  • Spiderwort: my love-hate relationship
  • Sunday Letter: March 23, 2025

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